[michiganmanager]

I am taking a regional position with a company that has stores in the Paint Creek Shopping center in Ypsilanti, The West Oaks II shopping center in Novi, the Hampton Village center in Rochester Hills, and at the Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn hills. So my question is where is a good place to live that will allow me to commute between all of these areas.

I will be spending the first year or so mainly in Novi and Ypsilanti. I only have one newborn son and my wife with me so we are flexible for schools at this point.

I am looking for a community that has lots of activites for my wife and son while I am working. Any place where people like to be involved with each other would be great. We would like at least 1/2 acre or more. The bigger the better as long as there are good restaurants and shopping nearby. Thanks.

MIM

[sikes0000]

Ann Arbor would be great for the family but is a bit of a drive from Novi. You can do it but I wouldnt want to You can go somewhere in between. Say Plymouth or Canton. Canton would be easy to Novi and Ypsilanti. Plymouth is really close to Novi but Ypsilanti would be a little bit more difficult.

Maybe somewhere farther up US23. You could take 23 to Ypsi and one of the mile roads to Novi. But thats a little more rural IMHO but you might find bigger lots.

But if you are gonna end up driving to Rochester or Auburn hills I might move out that way. I guess it depends how many day/week you have to go there. Your talking an hour drive home at rush hour from say Auburn Hills to Canton. If you work odd hours it wouldnt be so bad.

But I can't speak for Auburn or Rochester Hills as I have never lived there and only know its a pain to get there from where I live (Wayne) Rochester especially.

How far are you willing to drive? And in a year how many days a week do you anticipate being at each location?

[michiganmanager]

I will most likely be going to each store at least once and maybe twice during the week. The store hours are from Noon to eight everyday. I don't mind driving but a centralized area would be great as long as there is plenty for my wife to do and it is a good neighborhood.

MM

[pmckee1]

I'd recommend taking a closer look at ypsi itself. Assuming you're looking at renting there are lots of rental apartments and houses available. The area definitely fits the bill for things to do and places to go and it's very community oriented. Not all the neighborhoods are the same, but many are very quiet and friendly.


Good luck with your move!

[M TYPE X]

I would live somewhere in the I-275 corridor, maybe Novi, especially because you are looking at driving fairly often to Auburn Hills/Rochester Hills. If you are spending most of your time in Ypsi, live either in Ann Arbor or Plymouth/Canton.

I'll be back home in SE Michigan later this week. I always hit town at rush hour, which is nothing like Chicagoland. Heck, Detroit traffic bothers me less than Cleveland.